Making the Invisible Board of Trustees Visible

Lydia Berglar
Feb 17
2 min read

When conducting feasibility studies on behalf of nonprofits, a common theme we at Canaan Group & Associates hear from donors is that they don’t know anything about the organization’s board members. Then, when we ask how confident they feel in the board’s leadership, they can’t give an answer.

This is a problem.

Confidence in leadership greatly impacts whether or not donors will increase (or continue) their investment in the nonprofit, and the leadership isn’t just the executive director or other visible faces; it’s the board of trustees/directors. Serving on a board is a largely behind-the-scenes job, so board invisibility is a natural—but not insurmountable—problem.

A board member’s job is to Govern, Advocate, Give, and Get Others to Give (which we like to call GAGG). Board member exposure is a key part of advocacy and also helps with fundraising.

Whenever you can, create opportunities for board members to become visible. Encourage the board to attend events where they can mingle with friends of the nonprofit. Any time you host a large fundraising event or celebratory dinner, many board members should, of course, be there, but how else can you creatively facilitate these interactions?

If you work for a school, board members can attend sporting events or theatre performances and talk with parents. They can ask parents, “Which student is yours?” and it might lead to deeper conversations about how satisfied the family is with the school.

If volunteer work days are a part of your ministry, encourage board members to work right alongside other volunteers. Do you host clothing, food, or supply drives or give out meals to people in need? Those are perfect opportunities for board members to get their hands dirty side-by-side with other donors and volunteers. Encourage board members to ask these partners why they choose to support the ministry.

If you send out regular newsletters (email or snail mail) or thank-you letters/gift receipts, these are perfect opportunities to highlight one board member at a time. Ask board members to write a short thank you, and include their name and photo in the thank-you letter/gift receipt or introduce one member per newsletter.

It’s not just current donors who need to know your board. Every person connected with the nonprofit and anyone interested in its mission and work should be able to find names, photos, and bios of board members on your website. If you don’t have a board section easily accessible on your website, we recommend you begin by adding one.

Board members not only help steer the ship from the helm; they’re also the flags flying proudly that identify the ship and encourage passengers to come aboard. A well-functioning board acts as a group of advocates for your nonprofit, making your fundraising job just a little bit easier.

Our team has experienced firsthand the importance of a strong board, so we enjoy working with nonprofits to strengthen and activate their boards. If you’re wondering how to recruit quality board members, check out this post and talk to us. If you’d like the CG&A team to help your board connect with your people, contact us to start the conversation.